KUCHING: The Football Association of Sarawak (FAS) is finalising its Malaysia Games (SUKMA) 2026 football longlist, with president Datuk Fazzrudin Abdul Rahman saying selections will come from Sarawak School Sports Council (MSSS), Kuching City youth, and divisional FAs.
He explained that the process is designed to cast a wide net before narrowing down the final squad.
“Firstly, all MSSS Sarawak players will be automatically placed in the longlist.
“Secondly, we will include players from Kuching City’s president and youth squads, and letters have been sent to all divisional football associations to propose their best players,” he told Sarawak Tribune recently.
Additionally, Fazzrudin said the longlist must be submitted before November and FAS is currently waiting for feedback from the divisional FAs before moving into the shortlisting phase.
On the question of a head coach, he said no appointment has been made yet, as the matter will be decided collectively.
“The executive committee will discuss and recommend the best candidate, but we still have time.
“What is important is ensuring the team gets enough preparation before SUKMA,” he added.
He noted that football falls under Category C in SUKMA, meaning funding is only released for centralised training one month before the competition.
“That is our challenge. Ideally, we need four to five months of training. So FAS must look for additional funding to support early preparations, because one month is not enough,” he stressed.
Fazzrudin assured that the association is committed to securing resources to ensure Sarawak can mount a strong campaign.
